


The Game Has Changed

by knightswatch



Category: Free!
Genre: Abuse, Aged up characters, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Bodyguard, Cracks In The Surface Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-26 14:25:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5008195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightswatch/pseuds/knightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asahi, at the time, didn't really understand the line of thinking, but Natsuya told him his whole job was to look out for his younger brother, walk him to school and home every day, keep him safe and make sure he ate dinner, and those were all things that Asahi could do in exchange for a place to stay and more money than he would have imagined Natsuya had at his disposal.</p>
<p>He could easily remember Ikuya at the time; ten, shy, cried the first time Natsuya left the two of them alone together. He acted like he couldn't bear to be apart from his brother, but whenever Natsuya was around, Ikuya sunk into a shell of himself-- he went from being quiet to being silent, huddled himself into tight spaces and watched Natsuya with wary orange eyes, hair falling in his face like he wanted to hide behind it. </p>
<p>Asahi hasn't ever really understood their relationship-- Ikuya devoted himself to everything Natsuya asked of him, craved his praise, always <i>wanted</i> to spend time with him, but feared him in equal measure.</p>
<p>It's easier, at least, for Asahi to understand the fear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shions_heart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shions_heart/gifts).



> I can't even believe I got talked into writing this.

At the start, Asahi was just looking for a decent job. It wasn't something easy to find at twelve-years-old, with no combat ability whatsoever and living in a rough neighborhood. It was before Natsuya really had anything more than a handful of buildings and a bad attitude, before there was anything to actually call the Demon's Eye Syndicate.

But Natsuya did have ambition, and a personality ruthless enough that at the age of seventeen he was already worried about people coming after his younger brother. He found Asahi and decided someone who couldn't do anything more than create forcefields made a perfect bodyguard since he couldn't turn and attack them later. Asahi, at the time, didn't really understand the line of thinking, but Natsuya told him his whole job was to look out for his younger brother, walk him to school and home every day, keep him safe and make sure he ate dinner, and those were all things that Asahi could do in exchange for a place to stay and more money than he would have imagined Natsuya had at his disposal.

He could easily remember Ikuya at the time; ten, shy, cried the first time Natsuya left the two of them alone together. He acted like he couldn't bear to be apart from his brother, but whenever Natsuya was around, Ikuya sunk into a shell of himself-- he went from being quiet to being silent, huddled himself into tight spaces and watched Natsuya with wary orange eyes, hair falling in his face like he wanted to hide behind it. 

Asahi hasn't ever really understood their relationship-- Ikuya devoted himself to everything Natsuya asked of him, craved his praise, always _wanted_ to spend time with him, but feared him in equal measure.

It's easier, at least, for Asahi to understand the fear. 

He tried for two years not to feel attached to Ikuya; keeping him safe might be his job, but that was all. He didn't have to talk to the kid, or like him, or hold his hand when Natsuya yelled at him and he cried after. He didn't _want_ to be the person doing those things, until suddenly he found that watching Ikuya curl up in the corner of his room and cry, seeing the way he flinched sometimes when an arm was raised too fast or someone moved too close to him, the small habits that before had been only mildly annoying made his chest ache in the strangest of ways.

Now, though, with Asahi nearly nineteen and Ikuya seventeen and still shy and prone to crying, they're both used to each other. He still walked Ikuya to and from school each day, barely rolling his eyes when a small hand reached out and gripped the corner of his sleeve, deciding not to comment on it. It had been a bad night, with Natsuya coming home late and nearly tearing his own hair out in frustration. Asahi basically lived with the both of them at this point, and he didn't leave Natsuya and Ikuya alone to argue anymore.

He stayed outside the school the whole day while Ikuya was inside, checking his phone regularly, smiling just a little at the small text message updates that Ikuya sent; complaining that his class was boring, a picture of what they got for lunch (Asahi usually wandered off for a bit and bought his own food), a short conversation before he changed for gym. It was nice, it was normal, which in Asahi's estimation was even better.

He knew Ikuya's schedule entirely by heart, and so when he was late coming out to the gate, it was impossible to miss. Asahi pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against, aware that he didn't look like the most savory character to be hanging around outside a school, with the bright hair and tattoo's all over his neck, but he craned around to see through the fence regardless, frowning. Ikuya was crossing the yard with a frown on his face, gripping the straps of his bag with tight fists and staring at the ground.

He looked up when he stepped outside, relaxing slightly when he saw Asahi grinning at him. He could tell there was something on the younger boy's mind but decided not to ask right away. He shared things on his own time, usually, and that was alright. Still, he gave Ikuya's hair a small ruffle, nodding at him.

“How'd that quiz go?” He paused, letting the silence stretch out between them as they started walking. “Did you read everyone's minds for the answers?”

“Didn't have to,” Ikuya's mouth quirked into a small smile, reaching out and holding the corner of Asahi's sleeve again. Asahi quirked an eyebrow but let him, nodding.

“That's good then,” he shrugged his shoulders, laughing softly. “You're a smart kid-- you're gonna end up being top of your class even without cheating.”

“I already am,” Ikuya answered quietly, looking down at the pavement moving beneath his feet. His fingers squeezed tighter around Asahi's sleeve and he ignored the temptation to slot their fingers together. “S- Sensei held me after a little today to tell me.”

“Good job,” he said, grinning as warmly as he could when Ikuya's eyes darted up towards him. He saw the burn of a blush cross his face and laughed softly to himself. He considered asking if Ikuya wanted to tell Natsuya, then stopped himself. It was unlikely that Natsuya would really care, and if he was still in a mood that would only make it worse. Instead, he sighed out slowly and gave Ikuya's shoulder a squeeze. “Proud of ya, kid.”

“I'm not a kid, Asahi-san,” Ikuya mumbled, but there was amusement in it at least. It was good; plenty to make him smile a little and flush in embarrassment. Things were quiet when they got back, and Ikuya almost immediately went to spreading his books out on the table to study. Asahi leaned over his shoulder a minute, forehead scrunching as he looked over the words with a frown. He could read and write, at least, but most of what Ikuya studied just confused the hell out of him.

Ikuya looked up, not bothered by the closeness after so many years of it, smiling at Asahi's curiosity. “It's physics.”

“Huh. Do you like it?” He left a hand resting lazily on Ikuya's shoulder, trying once again to read the page it was open to. Ikuya shrugged his shoulders, ducking his head before clearing his throat suddenly.

“A- Asahi-san! I- I want you to take the night off,” he stumbled through the statement, craning his neck to look Asahi in the face. He blinked twice, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Hah? Why?” He chuckled, using the awkward position of Ikuya's head to brush the bangs out of his face, head cocked to the side. He didn't take many nights off-- didn't really see the point of it. He didn't have a family to visit or friends that weren't related to work. “Tryin' to get rid of me?”

“N- no! You've just been working hard-- you deserve it,” it was almost strange, seeing both of Ikuya's eyes. He let his hair hang in his face so much that Asahi almost forgot how vibrant they were. He shrugged, combing his fingers through Ikuya's hair again before tucking it behind his ears for him.

“Still want me to make you dinner?” He offered, not sure what he would do with his sudden evening of freedom. Get a new tattoo, probably. He didn't really have a plan for once, but there was space on his back to fit something impulsive at least. Possibly he'd just stand outside the building and chain-smoke the whole night out of boredom and try to keep himself from checking in on Ikuya every hour. 

Ikuya shook his head, cheeks pink again as he stared up at Asahi still, hand lifting like he wanted to free his hair but dropping back to the table. He looked cute with his face exposed-- eyes slanting upward in a way that was almost cat-like, the tiny dusting of freckles over his nose actually visible. His mouth parted to say something else and for a moment Asahi stared at the motion.

He caught himself, jerking up before Ikuya had a chance to notice, shrugging his shoulders. “Alright, but you best get to bed on time, ya' hear me?”

“Of course, Asahi-san!” It was the closest to a chirp that his voice could get, and Asahi nodded, snagging his jacket off the hook and letting himself out the door.

 

The force that dragged him back to the apartment before ten that evening could really only be described as instinct. If it were anyone else but Ikuya that he hung around all the time, Asahi wouldn't put much stock into the unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had made it as far as getting a single beer in a bar he knew wasn't too particular about his actual age, sitting down and staring at it until the condensation melted off onto the scarred bar top. After that, he couldn't sit still, ending up pacing outside the bar with a cigarette that he smoked down to the filter and then stomped under his heel in irritation.

He was walking back into the apartment now; Natsuya had gotten the three of them probably the shittiest penthouse in the entire block, but Asahi wasn't paying for it and never really complained. It had real furniture and most of the stains could be explained and he'd only cut his foot open on the floor twice since they moved in. He nudged the door open with the weight of his shoulder, blinking at the fact that the living room was totally dark.

It was unusual-- Ikuya wasn't a big fan of the dark and Asahi shook his head before flipping the light on. “Ikuya?”

There was a surprised yelping sound from the couch, followed by the thump of a light body hitting the floor. Asahi sighed, elbowing the door shut and rolling his eyes, crossing over and leaning his arms on the back of the couch, looking at Ikuya laying on his stomach on the floor. “What are ya' doin' kid?”

“I just f- fell,” there was a familiar tremble in his voice and Asahi frowned, stepping around the couch and leaning over to help him up. Ikuya resisted for a moment, curling into himself before sitting up with a pronounced sniffle. He was reluctant to actually turn towards Asahi at all, and by the time he gave into that too, the sound of his own heart thudding in his ears was making Asahi's head sore.

He knew for certain that when he left, Ikuya wasn't sporting a black eye, or the spot of blood on his lip. He wiped it away gently with the sleeve of his jacket, crumpling so they were sitting on the floor together, feeling the tremble of his anger work its way down to his fingers. “What happened?”

“I- it's nothing,” he said quietly, not quite cringing away from Asahi's touch. Some days were better than others. He knew, at least, that Asahi was nothing he had to fear, even if sometimes he still flinched away. Asahi shook his head, reaching out slowly and tucking Ikuya's hair back again, still frowning.

“Tell me,” it was a soft instruction, belaying the lead coil around his stomach. He brushed his thumb under Ikuya's eye, wiping fresh tears away. To his surprise, Ikuya pitched forward, pushing his head against Asahi's shoulder, hiding there and shaking a little, fingers reaching out and gripping the front of his jacket tightly. Asahi didn't quite freeze, wrapping his arms slowly around the younger boy, holding him there securely.

“I- I told N- Natsuya that I wanted to leave after this year and go to college,” Ikuya managed after a moment, his shaking starting to slow down. He tried not to cringe at the thought, rubbing Ikuya's back with slow, sure strokes. “He got... mad.”

“That's why you made me take the night off?” Asahi asked with a sigh, curling his arms tighter and shaking his head. It was exactly like Ikuya-- Asahi's worst fights were always protecting him _from_ Natsuya and his rages. There had come a time when he couldn't just look away while his charge and best friend got screamed at or even hurt. His job was to protect him-- Natsuya wasn't an exception to that rule anymore.

“I didn't want you to get in trouble,” Ikuya mumbled and Asahi could feel him squeeze the fabric in his fingers tighter. “Will you stay with me tonight? Please, Asahi-san?”

“Yeah, sure thing,” he answered with a small sigh, shaking his head. He hesitated before pressing a tender kiss to Ikuya's temple, closing his eyes slowly. It didn't matter that they were curled up on the floor, or that he had years and years of built up reasons why he didn't get this close.

Sometimes his job was to pick up the pieces.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sy may have also talked me into writing a Halloween drabble for this. Spooky.

“U- um, Asahi-san?” Ikuya lifted his head from the book he'd been reading, hair pulled back from his face in a messy ponytail that Asahi was deeply avoiding staring at. He was really trying to avoid staring _at all_ but had to look up when his attention was requested, closing the sketchbook he had spread over his lap.

“What's up?” He cocked an eyebrow, stretching his legs out onto the rough table in front of him, draping an arm over the back of the couch. It was a new one, something that Natsuya and two guys that Asahi recognized just enough not to trust had dragged in one night. There were a couple shallow cuts in the leather surface already, probably a hallmark of Nao spending any amount of time sitting on it, but it was still nicer than the old one.

“N- Natsuya is having people over tonight right?” It was a slow question, not something uncommon with Ikuya. He liked to pick carefully through his words and more often than not left Asahi to fill in the blank spaces. He shrugged in response, dropping his hand from the back of the couch to twirl one sea green lock of hair around a finger.

“Yeah, for Halloween or whatever,” it wasn't big enough to be a party-- things were going well enough for Natsuya lately with his whole array of business that Asahi wasn't too worried about things going badly, and if they did he could always block them in Ikuya's room like he'd done in the past. Ikuya twitched slightly, blinking at Asahi's hand before his mouth lifted in a tiny smile.

“Do-- do you think we could um, do something?” He continued smiling when he said it, and Asahi blinked then shrugged his shoulders, releasing Ikuya's hair and laughing. “Nii got me a costume.”

“Whatever you want, sure,” he didn't remember Nii leaving anything that seemed like a costume behind, but he'd long since accepted that he could never actually be sure of what she was up to. She had his trust mostly as the default of being Ikuya's friend since even before Asahi was hired to protect him, and taking everything that came with that role seriously. “Get changed and we'll get you some candy, yeah?”

“Are you going to steal it all?” Ikuya's head lolled back toward Asahi's leg, stretched out to take up all the space on the couch that Asahi wasn't occupying. He flashed a grin, rubbing his neck.

“I would never do something like that,” he answered seriously gripping at his chest with one hand in mock offense, poking at the center of Ikuya's forehead. There was a soft bubble of laughter past his lips that only made Asahi grin wider. “Go on, put your costume on.”

“Okay,” he pushed himself up, pulling his hair out of the ponytail on his way back to his room, leaving the book laying forgotten on the table. As much as he lamented losing the full view of Ikuya's face and all his freckles and the tiny wrinkle of his nose when he was thinking, he supposed it would probably be worth it just to see whatever this costume was.

He was not prepared for Ikuya wandering out with his bangs pinned back by a pair of barrettes (one with a ghost, the other a jack-o-lantern), along with cat ears and a perfectly curled tail attached to the back of his jeans, still in the loose hoodie he'd been wearing before. He shuffled when Asahi didn't say anything right away, lifting a hand like he was going to pull the ears out of hair.

“D- don't,” he said, too quickly, voice stumbling over the single syllable. Unbelievably, he could feel the heat rising into his face, still looking at the stupid 'costume' with wide eyes. Part of him wanted to ask if Ikuya was sure about going out like that, but the other was screaming not to give Ikuya any reason to take the ears out of his hair. It was deeply, painfully unfair having to practically live attached to someone so cute and so completely off-limits to Asahi. He swallowed once, roughly, before pulling himself to his feet and nodding his head, stuffing a half-emptied pack of cigarettes into his pocket. “Okay, um, let's go.”

Ikuya brightened instantly at that, dropping his hand and nodding, letting Asahi follow him out without complaint. Asahi generally preferred to walk a step behind Ikuya, it allowed him to see threats first, and project forcefields in front of them both much more easily.

“Ya know we don't do trick or treating all the way out here, right?” He chuckled when they stepped onto the street. Ikuya nodded, looking over his shoulder and digging one sharp canine into his lower lip, indenting a single white line into it. Asahi blinked twice before pointedly looking away, rubbing the back of his neck. “We can go up to Block Four, if you want, they should have good shit.”

“We don't have to go that far,” Ikuya kicked at the ground, blinking his eyes slowly and tilting his head. “We can go to that bar you like.”

“I--” he caught the rest of the phrase in his throat, curling his hands into fists in his pockets. He didn't really want to admit that it wasn't a good idea because he didn't want to watch people staring at Ikuya all night, but there was no actual threat to being there. He sighed, shaking his head slowly at himself. “I don't want you drinking.”

“Promise,” Ikuya chuckled, following when Asahi turned the other direction and waved two fingers at Ikuya to follow along with him. He caught the back of Asahi's sleeve, squeezing it with a smile and holding on. “Do you go there and drink?”

“It is a bar,” he responded with a laugh and a roll of his eyes. He didn't drink often, and he never really drank to actually do anything but burn time. “Mostly I just get a beer and sit there and smoke.”

“I thought you were quitting,” there was a little teasing in there, buried underneath the genuine desire Ikuya had to get Asahi to stop. He laughed, shrugging and giving one lock of Ikuya's hair a playful tug.

“Been quitting since you turned fifteen,” he replied easily, leaving his hand resting on the back of Ikuya's neck. He rubbed his thumb into the tiny exposed triangle of skin at the top of his spine, laughing. “What makes you wanna go to a bar, anyway?”

“I wanna see where you spend your time,” Ikuya replied as if it were a totally normal thing as if it weren't something that made Asahi's heart jump with the embarrassing reminder that he was still a teenager with a crush. Judging by the costume alone he was pretty sure that Nii had figured it out, too. 

“I don't spend much of it without you hanging around,” he shot a glare at a pair of men on one corner they rounded who paused to make eyes at Ikuya. He didn't feel bad for being distrustful of people, especially when it involved Ikuya. It was pretty much his job description. He kept his hand settled on the back of Ikuya's neck, smiling again slowly when they looked away.

“D- do you want more time off?” Ikuya's teeth worried at his lower lip, but Asahi shook his head with a soft chuckle.

“Who's gonna look after you then?” He rolled his eyes a little, blinking at the shy way Ikuya ducked his head to the side, squeezing his hand a little tighter in reassurance. “What's up kid?”

“N- Natsuya wants me to start 'playing a more active role' in things with him” Ikuya responded slowly, glancing up with red creeping into his cheeks as soon as he saw Asahi's eyebrows leap together and a glare cross his face. “I- it's okay, Asahi-san.”

“I'm not okay with it,” he responded, stroking his fingers through the ends of Ikuya's hair, sighing as the bar loomed in front of them. It wasn't exactly the sort of scene he wanted to expose Ikuya too, especially when there were things obviously on his mind. “You still wanna go to school, right?”

“I... don't think that's going to happen,” he ducked away from Asahi's hand to pull the door open, a small smile crossing his face once more. “You shouldn't worry about all of that through.”

“Worrying about you is my job,” he reasoned in return. Ikuya shrugged, shaking his head slightly, holding the door and letting Asahi follow him inside.

“Protecting me is your job,” he said it like it was somehow different like Asahi could live his life and keep Ikuya safe without constantly being so concerned about him. Asahi frowned, steering Ikuya away from the beat up bartop to a smaller booth in the corner. He slid into the seat across from Ikuya's, leaning back slightly, elbow draped across the top of the booth.

Ikuya looked around before wrinkling his nose and looking back at Asahi, head tilted slightly to the side. “This is where you spend your time off?”

“Hey, I never said it was anyplace fancy!” He laughed, holding two fingers up to summon the grumpy looking bartender to their table. He frowned further before stepping out, draping the towel in his hand across his arm, looking at Asahi and shaking his head.

“Nuh-uh, you two have to go,” he crossed his arms, tensing his shoulders so it looked like his muscles strained against his shirt. “I'm not playing Gangland tonight.”

“W- why?” Ikuya frowned, curling further in the seat and knocking the ears sideways with the angle of his head. The man glanced at him then looked back to Asahi with a small snort.

“Relax. It's just me and him, no trouble,” he held both hands up, grinning a little crookedly and drawing a cigarette out of his pocket. “Have I ever made any problems for you?”

“ _You're_ not what I'm worried about,” he grumbled, glancing at Ikuya again and sighing. “I'm not a fan of having one of the Kirishima's in my bar.”

“Ikuya's just fine. He's better behaved than I am,” he let the cigarette hang unlit from his mouth, leaning back in the booth and nudging his foot against Ikuya's under the table. “He just wanted a night out for Halloween.”

“I- I'm not, um, I'm not much like my brother,” Ikuya managed shyly, still staring at the scarred tabletop in front of them. The bartender snorted, crossing his arms.

“Any more of these gang assholes burst in here I'm blaming it on the two of you,” he snorted, setting a drink in front of Asahi before returning back to the bar with a frustrated shake of his head. Asahi sighed a little, lifting his hands to light the smoke between his lips, humming as he drew it slowly into his lungs.

“Asshole,” he mumbled, smoke tumbling out of his mouth to shape the word in the air. Ikuya looked up, frowning slightly when he saw it, lifting his hand to adjust the ears in his hair.

“You should quit for real,” he said quietly, tucking his fingers together on top of the table. Asahi shrugged and something mischievous lit up Ikuya's face. “I- if you do, I'll give you a reward!”

“Yeah, what kind?” He cocked an eyebrow, not expecting anything really serious to come about from the conversation. Ikuya had tried a variety of ways to get him to quit already, all resulting in failure.

“I'll kiss you every day you don't have one,” he responded, barely taking a moment to think about it. Asahi, despite himself, froze with the butt of the cigarette resting against his lower lip, letting it burn without taking another drag from it, staring. He started with Ikuya's face, trying to read nerves or even some kind of deception in his words. When he didn't see either of those, his gaze fell to Ikuya's lips like it was being pulled by a magnet.

“Y- you can't be serious,” he managed after a minute, pulling his eyes away and continuing to let the cigarette between his fingers burn away without a second thought. Ikuya shrugged his shoulders, blinking his eyes slowly with a small smile lighting across his face. Still, Asahi blinked, shook his head and stuck the cigarette firmly back into his mouth. “You're not a bargaining chip.”

It was a bitter thing to get stuck on, and it wasn't exactly Ikuya's fault, but Asahi couldn't stomach the idea of using him like that-- like he was a tool, a means to an end. To his surprise, Ikuya rolled his eyes and leaned forward across the table, cheeks pink but actions bold, plucking the cigarette out of Asahi's mouth and grinding it out against the tabletop, eyes dropping to follow his hands. “I'm n- not offering it as a bargain, Asahi-san.”

“So what, you're just opposed to nicotine kisses then?” He meant it as a quip, but his mouth snapped shut when Ikuya glanced up and nodded his head. He swallowed a hard gulp of air. “Have you even kissed someone before, kid?”

“Do I have to have to know I want to kiss you?” His voice went a little soft, adjusting the cat ears nervously. Asahi nearly groaned, trying to avoid the moment where he had to explain exactly _why_ this was a horrible conversation for the two of them to be having. Mostly... because he was short on reasons at the moment.

Ikuya didn't give him a chance to finish formulating an argument, lifting one small hand away from his hair and sliding it against Asahi's cheek, his own face burning as he leaned in, eyes closing, and brushed their lips tenderly together. Even without really meaning to, Asahi froze at the contact. Not because it was a shock, but because his brain kicked into overdrive in a desperate attempt to memorize every detail of the kiss.

Ikuya's lips were warm, soft, and still edging towards clumsy. It was nowhere near as bad as Asahi's first kiss had been, and with that in mind he cupped his hand around Ikuya's cheek, tilting his head slightly to give them both a better angle, guiding Ikuya with the gentle motions of his own mouth, thumb stroking his cheekbone.

After a moment, he leaned back with a sigh, shaking his head and trying to ignore the fact that he was blushing at a kiss that was most certainly not _his_ first. Ikuya wrinkled his nose slightly, teeth digging into the slick flesh of his bottom lip. “Definitely no more smoking then.”

“S- sure,” he found himself agreeing, staring at the white lines that Ikuya's teeth dug into his lip and wondering exactly what he was getting himself into now.


End file.
